Baltic Cinema: Drifting Clouds
Dir. Aki Kaurismäki Finland 1996 1hr 37mins
Drifting Clouds (15)
Thursday 4 February | 18:30
£6/£4.50* per person
The ever-poker-faced Ilona loses her job as a restaurant hostess, as her tram driver husband, Lauri, also finds himself out of work. Together they must hit the streets of Helsinki, facing up to hardship and humiliation in their quest for survival, guided through the gloom by a ray of hope.
Winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes, Drifting Clouds is classic Kaurismäki, mixing together bleak humour with brilliantly straight performances, the film captures the harshness of a recession with a real bite, however is never quite as cynical as it makes out. Hilarious and surprisingly hopeful, Drifting Clouds is Kaurismaki at his best.
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Doors open 18:00; Film starts 18:30. Pop-up cinema bar open from 18:00 for drinks.
Please note we cannot offer refunds on this event.
*Concessions: under 18s, unwaged & 65+
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Together! Solidarity and Community on Screen
November 2026 – March 2027
What makes a community? What brings people together and gives them common purpose? And just what is possible when that common purpose yields strength and resolve — to resist, to maintain, to survive?
In response to our exhibition Close to Home, the films in this season all circle ideas of community and solidarity and ask key questions about the limits of each. They are rooted in stories of working-class lives, from across different countries and times, from Gateshead to Prague via Helsinki. They explore the most basic conditions of life – labour and housing – and the determination, integrity and compassion to fight the erosion of those conditions.
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Supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network.
Baltic Cinema
Baltic Cinema is a year-round cinema programme at Baltic, lighting up our Level 1 Cinema with the best new and archive films. Bringing otherwise rarely-screened work to the North East, Baltic Cinema also expands our exhibitions, offering a chance to explore further some of the themes they raise.
Baltic Cinema has five strands:
Currents presents new work from across the world
Sources expands on our exhibitions
Selected shows films selected by our artists and partners
Quayside Kino is a monthly screening for families and children
News From Home offers films on and from the North East, for the people who live here
All regular screenings take place in our Level 1 Cinema.
Baltic Cinema is supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network.